Rutherford County High School Students Attend College Goal Event at Motlow College in Smyrna

Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation representative Sarah Quinlan, at left and volunteer Lori North prepare to greet students at the Motlow College Smyrna Center's first College Goal event. Sixty-six students from Rutherford County high schools and their parents or guardians attended College Goal to learn about completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which is the first step students must take when applying for financial aid for college.

January 23, 2012

Sixty-six Rutherford County high school students and their parents or guardians attended the Motlow College Smyrna Center's first College Goal event on Jan. 12 to learn about the financial aid application process, according to Jonathan Graham, an academic advisor at the college.

"This financial aid awareness campaign was an amazing collaborative initiative between Motlow College and the local community," Graham said. "A recurring theme that my fellow student advisor Jeremy Mills and I observe with many new incoming students and parents is the difficulty with which they find the financial aid process. It was this observation that led us to collaborate with local high schools to put this event together in hopes to better serve our community."
Students attending were from many Rutherford County high schools, including Oakland, Holloway, Lavergne, Smyrna, Eagleville, Cumberland, Riverdale, and Middle Tennessee Christian.

Graham said many high school counselors, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation representatives and members of the Motlow College staff worked to make the event a success. These included Caroline Brock from Smyrna High School, Kristen Cantrell from LaVergne High School, Jennifer Courtney from Holloway High School, Missy Blissard from Oakland High School, TSAC representative Sarah Quinlan, volunteer Lori North, and Motlow staff members Donna Dunaway, Cheryl Hyland, Karen Hudson, Jeremy Mills, Joe Myers and Gary Winton.

College Goal was held in cooperation with the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation. TSAC College Goal events bring together financial aid professionals from colleges and universities along with other volunteers to help college-bound students and their families complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Completing the FAFSA is the first step students must take when applying for financial aid for college.